Museum sights in Wielkopolska
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Palace & National Museum
The tiny village of Rogalin, 12km west of Kórnik, was the seat of yet another Polish aristocratic clan, the Raczyński family, who built a palace here in the closing decades of the 18th century, and lived in it until WWII. Plundered but not damaged during WWII, the palace was taken over by the state.
In 1991, Count Edward Raczyński, who had been Polish ambassador to Britain at the outbreak of WWII and a leading figure in the Polish government in exile, reaffirmed the use of the palace as a branch of Poznań's National Museum. Less visited than Kórnik's castle and much more Germanic in its appearance, the Rogalin palace consists of a massive, two-storey, baroque central st…
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Citadel Park
The large Citadel Park is laid out on what was once a massive Prussian fortress known as the Citadel (Cytadela). It was involved in one major battle, when the Germans defended themselves for four weeks in 1945, and was completely destroyed apart from a few fragments. Today the park incorporates two museums: the Museum of Weapons and the Museum of the Poznań Army. There are also cemeteries for Polish, Soviet, British and Commonwealth soldiers, all on the southern slopes of the hill.
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Museum of Musical Instruments
It houses hundreds of instruments, from whistles to concert pianos, but it’s less interesting than it should be. One room on the ground floor is filled with intriguing musical devices including a typewriter for musician notation, and a polyphon, the precursor of the record player. Upstairs, however, it’s like an antiques clearance sale – rooms of pianos, rooms of violins, and so on, with little creative attempt to give them a context.
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Museum of the Origins of the Polish State
The Museum of the Origins of the Polish State, on the far side of Lake Jelonek, illustrates Gniezno’s pivotal role in Polish history. The permanent collection contains archaeological finds and works of art related to the development of the Polish nation from pre-Slavic times to the end of the Piast dynasty. The museum also runs an audiovisual presentation about Poland under the Piasts (English soundtrack available).
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D
Museum of Poznań June 1956
The Museum of Poznań June 1956, next door to the Monument to the Victims of June 1956, is housed within the neo-Romanesque Kaiserhaus ( M0158), which was built from 1904 to 1910 for Emperor Wilhelm II.
In addition to the Kaiserhaus, there are copious examples of Prussian architecture in this area. Notable specimens include the Teatr Wielki, the Collegium Maius ( M0159) and the Collegium Minus ( M015A).
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Archaeological Museum
Inside the 16th-century Górka Palace (Pałac Górków) is the Archaeological Museum. Before going in, stop and have a look at the fine Renaissance doorway on the building’s eastern façade. The museum itself presents the prehistory of the region, from the Stone Age to the early medieval period, as well as an extensive Egyptian collection.
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Museum of the Wielkopolska Uprising
The Museum of the Wielkopolska Uprising details the battles waged by Polish fighters seeking independence from Germany after the end of WWI. It’s an interesting if compact institution with displays of military uniforms, weaponry, photographs and documents created for the newborn Polish state that the Uprising hoped to help create. There’s a brochure in English.
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National Museum
The National Museum has an extensive collection of Polish and European art displayed in countless rooms. The building’s architecture isn’t much to look at, but the art is displayed to best advantage in the spacious and light-filled interior and, unusually for Polish museums, it has disabled access throughout.
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Archaeological Reserve
The Iron Age town is situated within the Archaeological Reserve. You can just wander through the grounds, but it’s also possible to hire an electronic audio tour for 15zł, or organise an English-speaking guide in advance for 80zł. The ticket office also sells some publications about the site in English.
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Regional Museum
For a more in-depth examination of the city’s story, the Regional Museum features archaeological and historical exhibits from Kalisz and surrounding areas. The museum also has an annexe in the Jesuit college, the Centre of Drawing & Graphic Arts.
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Historical Museum of Poznań
The Historical Museum of Poznań is inside the town hall. There’s an interesting and well-presented exhibition on the town’s history, despite the lack of English text, and the building’s original interiors are worth the entry price on their own.
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Museum of the First Piasts
On the lakeshore facing the island of Ostrów Lednicki is the Museum of the First Piasts. Among the buildings in the grounds is the oldest windmill in Poland (built in 1585), and an 18th-century granary, which has a display of excavated human remains.
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Museum of Applied Arts
The collection includes furniture, gold and silverware, glass, ceramics, weapons, clocks, watches and sundials from Europe and the Far East. Exhibits date from the 13th century to the present.
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Museum
The museum presents some architectural remains (including a Romanesque portal with a tympanum depicting the scene of the Teaching of Christ) and archaeological finds.
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Museum of the Poznań Army
This museum houses weapons, armour and ornaments from throughout the history of the Poznań army, including planes, tanks military hardware, rocket launchers and trucks.
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Archdiocesan Museum
The Archdiocesan Museum holds a collection of sacral sculpture and painting, liturgical fabrics, coffin portraits and votive offerings.
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Ethnographic Museum
It has a good collection of folk woodcarving – of note are the large roadside posts and crosses – and traditional costumes of the region.
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Górka Palace
The 16th-century Górka Palace sits in the southeastern corner of the Stary Rynek and now houses the Archaeological Museum.
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Wielkopolska Ethnographic Park
The skansen features a good selection of 19th-century rural architecture from Wielkopolska in a village setting.
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Archdiocesan Museum
The Archdiocesan Museum houses a collection of sacred art from the 12th century onwards.
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Wielkopolska Military Museum
Housed in post-WWII pavilions, the military museum's collection comprises nearly 40,000 items.
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